TFO Pro-S Series Spinning Rod Review
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
This TFO Pro-S spinning rod review post exposes the top pros and cons of the latest version of the TFO Professional series rods.
This is the rod series that I was using when I caught my most memorable catch (3rd floor balcony sight fishing), so I have all versions of this popular rod.
Here’s a video explaining the top pros and cons of the TFO Pro-S:
TFO Pro-S Spinning Rod Review
Click here to get the TFO Pro-S Series Spinning Rod
The Pros
This rod is the most affordable rod we’ve found for anglers making the switch from live bait to artificial lures.
The TFO Pro-S excels when using artificial lures but will no doubt work well for live bait.
The reason why it is perfect for artificial lures is that the rod is designed for maximum casting distance.
This rod consistently outperforms many other rods in numerous casting experiments we’ve conducted.
Long story short: if you want a great fishing rod for artificial lures that is under the $200 mark, this is the rod for you.
Casting Distance
Furthermore, the TFO Pro-S is not designed like other fishing rods of its kind.
The reel seat on the TFO Pro-S is a few inches lower towards the butt of the rod than most other rods of the same length.
This means there is more length in the rod itself which gives you a boosted casting distance compared to other rods.
The longer the distance between the reel and the rod tip, all else being equal, you will be able to cast further.
Next, the first guide’s placement on a fishing rod is immensely important.
When we match up the reels on the TFO Pro-S and the other expensive rod in this demonstration, we see the first guide on the more expensive rod is much lower towards the reel than the TFO rod.
Low guides constrict the line too quickly and slow it down as it is shooting off on your cast.
The TFO Pro-S has a much higher first guide which allows your line to shoot out without constriction.
Lure Keeper
It seems like a small, irrelevant detail but many anglers look for this feature in their fishing rods.
The TFO Pro-S Spinning Rod comes equipped with a lure keeper that enables you to store weedless hooks without having to make them un-weedless.
While the lure is still weedless, you can simply slide the hook on and off the keeper.
Most other rods have the “loop” style lure keeper.
The loop forces you to thread the hook through the loop which means you have to change your lure to an un-weedless state.
Last, but not least, is the sleek and ergonomically correct butt section of the rod.
It is comfortable in the hand and non-intrusive when you are fighting big fish.
The Cons
The most common complaint about the TFO Pro-S is the shortened butt section.
For kayakers and boaters, it makes it easier to hold a longer rod on smaller crafts.
But other anglers may have a tough time adjusting to the shorter butt section.
This rod is designed for light tackle in inshore fishing situations.
Although the rod butt does not extend as far as traditional rods, you do not need the leverage on this rod compared to other heavy-duty fishing applications.
The TFO Pro-S is ideal for inshore fishing the flats where you are targeting redfish, snook, trout, flounder, etc.
In scenarios where you are fishing in a fast current around rocks or structure for bigger fish, you definitely need a longer rod butt section for fighting those fish.
Twist-On/Twist-Off Reel Seat
The twist-on/twist-off reel seat does take a bit to get used to and has the tendency to sometimes come loose when you are fishing.
Just be mindful and make sure you are tightening down the reel seat firmly.
Hard To Find
The final con is that TFO Pro-S Spinning Rods are extremely hard to find.
They are based in Texas and due to location, many tackle stores in the Southeast are unable to carry these rods.
For this reason, we continued to try and pick up more rods for YOU in our online tackle shop!
Click here to get the TFO Pro-S Series Spinning Rod
Conclusion
TFO Pro-S Spinning Rods are designed for inshore saltwater fishing applications especially for those looking to get the most out of their artificial lure presentation.
These rods are hard to come by so make sure to take advantage of them being in our shop!
They will sell out fast so don’t wait!
Click here to get the TFO Pro-S Series Spinning Rod
Do you have any more questions about the TFO Pro-S Spinning Rod Review?
Let me know down in the comments!
Please let us know your own personal experiences with this rod if you have used it in the past!
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Just ordered the Professional 7’6” with the Fuego 2500….. can’t wait to try it out…… watching out the window for UPS
Hey Salt strong! I’m so excited for my new tfo 7 foot medium for the Chesapeake Bay! I’m not so sure what reel I should be paring it up with. I mostly use artificial lures and some live bait occasionally. Thanks!
Great review and love the pup doing his business in the background!
Haha! Good eye.
Great review
Unfortunately we do not have access to the TFO line in Europe 🙁
If you have to recommend another rod that will be available worldwide (in Shimano or Daiwa line for exemple) ?
Bought 2 of the 7’6″ Pro-Series and liked them so much recommended to a friend who ended up with 3. Had one break horsing a fish in over a railing. My fault, not the rod’s. Requested a replacement and sent in required rod section. Due to backlog on parts, repacement was delayed more than initially told. Called Monday and since still not available, was upgraded to a Tactical Inshore which arrived just now, on Wednesday! Can’t wait to try it out. Awesome company in my book!
I bought the 7’6″ TFO pro series spjnning rod 2 weeks ago based on the Best Introductory gear recommendation here, alkng with the Daiwa reel.
Thr rod broke on 1st Outing the other day. The tip literally snapped between 2nd and 3rd guide as I was bringing in a little 8″ snapper.
So sorry to see that your rod broke… must have been some sort of anomaly. They’ll surely hook you up with a replacement via their warranty program. Here’s a link to get that started: https://tforods.com/parts-services/
Thanks for the review Luke. I have the 7’6″ M with a Diawa PG MQ reel. I have weaned myself from live bait since acquiring this outfit. Using the slam shady and the pink variety, I have eliminated a lot of aggravation and lost time on the water. I’m talking about 30 years of finding live shrimp or bait fish. This lesson alone has been worth the price of membership to me. Of course I learned a lot from the fishing tips
Thanks so much for making time to post the nice comment Russ!
Thanks Luke! I have 2 of the new models, a 7′ M and a 7’6″ M and a 7′ ML in the old model. Love all 3 of them!
Glad to see that you are enjoying your TFO rods.
I have the old model and the new model and both are great rods for the money.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the rods Mark!
I got 3 @ 7’6″ M with paired with Fuego 2500 as per your recommendation. Wow, the length of cast and accuracy are really a game changer for me! Cant wait to go through summer and fall throwing with these! Thanks so much!
So glad to see that you are linking the rods!